What Parents Can Do About Child Anxiety Disorder |

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What Parents Can Do About Child Anxiety Disorder

First of all, just about everyone worries about one thing or another… so anxieties isn’t always associated with adults. Children have anxieties too! But the thing of it is… children can worry about a host of things while growing up… it is a normal part of living… however, children DO have some behavioral phases of anxieties that they go though before maturity. So I thought I would write a post about child anxiety disorder and what you can do about it.

But back to children… here is what is happening in their daily life…

They watch a lot of TV and are exposed to a lot of information about the news around the world on the Internet. It can’t be avoided… all that bad news is out there… more easily accessible than ever. And not only that… today’s TV news and the Internet news are more graphic to “shock” us.

Most good parents try to shield their kids when they were young toddlers… and continue to do so until their children are old enough to handle it… but it is close to impossible to shield them forever from terrible, horrible and angst ridden news…

Here’s the probable fact right now… whether you as a parent realize it or not, your children are more aware of what is happening around them…

They hear the adults talking about their fears and worries… (even when you think they are not paying attention). They can feel the uncertainties about your problems. Financial worries… employment worries… medical worries… relationship worries…

So this is probably something you should consider before talking to other adults about your problems… make sure the children cannot hear you.

Another big issue with children is separation anxiety. This is more common with smaller kids and many times it happens when they realize that you are a separate person from them and you have the ability to leave them.

However, this type of anxiety passes in time…

And oh boy! Children can have tons of phobias… fear of the dark… monsters under the bed (that was a biggie one when I was little!)

This is what all parents know about their children… kids have wild and varied imaginations… and many times… kids can confuse their imagination with what is real. Usually, as kids get older… they are able to distinguish the differences…

Future big events can be stressful to a child. Anything from starting school… moving to a new home… having a new sister or brother… parents getting a divorce and living in separate homes.

Granted… these kinds of events can cause anxiety attacks for anyone… but it can magnify within the kid’s mind because they cannot cope yet with the unknown events or uncertainty.

At times like this… it definitely helps to explain to them in a simple and through way BEFORE these events happen… before the kids have to “imagine” what may happen and spin the fears and anxieties out of control.

This is probably a great time to be a parent and also encourage them to ask questions… no question is stupid… try to alleviate their concerns and make their fears as small as possible.

Here is another issue you may not have thought about that brings anxieties to children… being sick… or suffering from trauma… these can bring on stress and worry to the kids. So again, you can explain the situation to them in such a way that they understand what is happening and be sure to answer all their questions… you’ll find that most of their anxieties will go away.

Of course it isn’t always easy to know if your child is undergoing anxieties… many times they won’t tell you so you can look for these signs:

very low self esteem?
having trouble sleeping?
repeating the same things over and over again?
avoids social interactions and situations?
fears for close friends and other family members?
very clingy?

As a parent… you have to wear a lot of hats! And sometimes it is very hard to know for sure whether what your child is undergoing a phase… or really an anxiety disorder. This is why you should always seek professional help whenever you are unsure or have some concerns.

A qualified professional should be able to ease your own anxieties (YES! Even parents have anxieties!!). Your doctor can even recommend specific techniques or treatment to help child anxiety disorder.

warmly,

Kate